With only nine months left at Stanford, and despite being top of her law school class, Lori Havens takes leave to care for her sick mother. That means she juggles three jobs, the best of which is researcher for novelist, and syndicated columnist of "Cat Does Crime," Cat Summer.

One evening after finishing up her work at Cat's apartment building, Lori has an encounter with a sexy stranger, and does something out of character. She goes home with him. The night is perfect, he's perfect, wealthy, powerful and from out of town. Morning comes, and despite their connection, Lori leaves before he finds out she's far from the equal he believes her to be. She's not a charity case and she's not after his money. She will make her own. In other words, she leaves before her prince charming finds out she's no princess.

Flash forward a few months, Lori's mother is healing, and Cat's husband, Reese, has merged his firm with another and Lori lands an internship there, with school credit and scholarship money.. Everything is falling into place. That is until fate reveals a wicked twist of events and Lori walks into a conference room to find her new boss, Cole Brooks, one of the partners, is her one-night prince charming. One sizzling shared look across a boardroom, and it's clear: this man is not done with her. It's not long before Lori is informed that she'll be working high profile cases with her one night prince charming which will require long nights and travel, starting immediately.

With those words, my words, my intent in the air, and my fingers still tangled in Lori’s hair, I kiss her, a deep, possessive kiss meant to claim her, take her, make her mine, if only for this night. And she knows it too, because when my lips part hers, she pants out, “No one owns me.”

“Then, sweetheart, you’ve never been properly fucked.” I slide my hands under her jacket, settling my palms on her shoulders.

“I guess that depends on how you define properly.”

I turn her to face in the opposite direction, dragging the jacket down her arms and tangling it around her wrists, and then I lean in close. “As dirty as possible,” I promise. “And with you on my tongue, in as many ways as we both find possible.”

“Is this how you own me?” she demands. “By binding my arms?”

“As much as I’d like to have you at my mercy, sweetheart,” I say, tossing the jacket aside, and turning her to face me, “I’m selfish enough to want your hands and mouth fully available, in any way, shape, or place you so choose to use them.” I walk us backward, toward the oversized chair made perfectly for the kind of hot, wild fuck in our near future, before my hands fall from her waist. “I want to watch you undress.”

“When do you undress?” she challenges.

“We have one condom, sweetheart. Let’s make it last. Undress for me, Lori.”

Her teeth scrape her bottom lip, and for just a moment, her eyes cut, but not before I see the flicker of nerves in her stare. And right then, I know that I’ve read her accurately up to this point. I know that her control is both a necessity and a wall that protects her. I know that no one has made it safe for her to leave those things at the door. No one has ever seen her really truly naked and the only way that happens, is to do exactly what I’m doing. Push her out of her comfort zone, pull her into the moment, where she forgets the walls, and lives nowhere but here in the moment. That’s the place where nothing exists but the two of us.

Her eyes meet mine again, and I see the decision in them. She’s not going to run like she did on the street tonight. She unzips her skirt, and caresses it down her slender, but curvy hips. It pools at her feet, and she kicks it aside, allowing me to admire her long legs in lacy thigh-high hose, my gaze catching on the slender strip of lace in the vee of her body.

Her fingers catch on the hem of her blouse, and she tries to hide the small, inhaled breath of courage she draws before pulling it and her loose bra over her head. She tosses it, and stands before me, creamy pale perfection in nothing but silk and lace, her breasts high, full, nipples puckered to a pretty pink that will soon be in my mouth. “You’re beautiful,” I say. “Come here.”

“Quid pro quo,” she declares. “I’m naked, you’re naked.”

We’re still doing the push and pull, but I don’t mind, not when my mouth is soon to be all over her body, which means her mouth will soon be all over my body. I don’t want her kneeling before me unless it’s to put her mouth on my cock. That’s not my goal, not this time, at least. It’s to own her, and that means she is so damn present, she can’t think, she can only feel. That takes trust and I decide to meet her halfway. I sit down and take off a shoe, showing it to her before setting it down.

“So now I get a socked foot?” she teases, and I can feel a hint of her tension easing away, her comfort in her own skin begins to settle into place. I can feel her easing into me and the night, letting me glimpse the real woman, not the stranger.

And I find that I surprise myself by how much I want to know this woman, not just fuck her.

“The pants don’t come off with the shoes on,” I tell her, and by the time I’ve removed the second shoe, she’s standing in front of me, every creamy white, naked inch of her. She grabs it and tosses it.

“Now the pants,” she orders, making it clear that she’s no submissive, that she can hold her own, and I fucking love it. “Or the shirt.”

I reach for her hips and walk her between my legs. “You’ve distracted me,” I tell her, my lips brushing her belly, my tongue drawing a circle. She trembles beneath my mouth, and I glance up at her. “You’re owned when you can think of nothing but the person you’re with. Nothing but what they might do to you now, and in the next moment.” I twine the string at her hips in my fingers. “Or where they might lick, kiss, or touch.” I drag her panties down her legs and then lower my mouth to her sex, where I let my breath tease her. “Tell me to lick you,” I order.

Her fingers curl around the material over my shoulders. “No.”

I bite my bottom lip and shake my head. “That’s too bad, because I really wanted to know how you taste.” I nip her hip and when she gives a surprised yelp I lave the wound with my tongue, glancing up at her. “Do you want me to—?”

“Yes.”

“Say it, Lori...”

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series.

In addition to the success of Lisa's INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is also the author of the bestselling WHITE LIES and LILAH LOVE series.

Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women's Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

They're the naughtiest of the naughty, the boldest of the bold, the sexiest of the sexy. They've got what all the other women want, and they know it. What's that make them? Just one word will do.

Cocky.

They've got it. You need it. Now you can have all the cocky you can ever handle, in one crazy, cocky volume from some of your favorite romance stars, getting their cocky on with their cockiest alphas.

Best of all: it's a lot of cocky for a great cause, so everyone's got the win!

Come on. You know you want to. Get cocky.

Multiple authors, along with Once Upon An Alpha, have joined for a collection featuring some of the cockiest alpha heroes you'll ever read. Best of all, the proceeds will benefit Testicular Cancer Society.

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than sixty novels. For over fifteen years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past seven years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and two very spoiled cats. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

Sierra Cartwright was born in England, and her early childhood was spent traipsing through castles and dreaming of happily-ever afters. She was raised in the Wild West and now lives in Galveston, Texas. She loves the beach and the artistic vibe of the island.

The international #1 best-selling author began writing books in elementary school, where her wonderful librarian "published" her first book, which was edited by her mum! Thankfully Mum was gentle when she told Sierra that baby was not spelled "babby."

Sierra has one incredible daughter -- her "PA Extraordinaire" and right-hand lady.

When Katana Collins was younger and stole her mother’s Harlequins to read beneath the covers with a flashlight, she wanted to read about the tough as nails heroine. The perfectly imperfect girl with quirks and attitude and sass. And the anti-heroes who were anything but “Prince Charming.” Forget the knight on a white horse… she wanted the bad boy on a motorcycle.

So, now, she writes those romance novels she craved to see on the shelves all those years ago—the sassy heroines. The badass heroes. Since penning her first romance novel back in 2012, she is now an international author with 15 published books and counting.

She lives in Portland, Maine, with an ever-growing brood of rescue animals: a kind of mean cat, a really doofy lab, a very mellow chihuahua, and a very not mellow cairn terrier puppy... oh yeah, there's a husband somewhere in that mix, too. She can usually be found hunched over her laptop in a cafe, guzzling gallons of coffee, and wearing fabulous (albeit sometimes impractical) shoes.

Tricia Daniels lives in a small town in Southern Ontario, Canada, where she raised three kids as a single parent. Creativity and imagination are never in short supply in her home. Between her quick wit and wicked sense of humor, she found she has a passion for writing steamy romance novels.

Her goal is simple: tell her story, warm a few hearts, shed a few tears, share a silent chuckle, and occasionally make people blush. That's the official version. But the simple truth is … she’s just a normal woman struggling to pay the bills while raising her children in a home where they feel empowered, supported, and loved.

Kym Grosso is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the erotic paranormal series, The Immortals of New Orleans, and the contemporary erotic suspense series, Club Altura. In addition to romance novels, Kym has written and published several articles about autism, and is passionate about autism advocacy. She is also a contributing essay author in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum.

She lives in suburban Pennsylvania but has a not-so-secret desire to move to a beach in southern California where she can write while listening to the roar of the ocean. She holds a bachelor’s degree from West Chester University and a MBA from Widener University. In a previous life, she was employed as a speech therapist, a health care consultant, and a product manager for a software company. In 2012, Kym published her first novel and today, is a full time indie romance author.

Known to the world as the oldest author of erotic romance, Desiree Holt proves every day that she is more than the sum of her years. She is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, an Authors After Dark Author of the Year and winner of the Holt Medallion. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail and numerous other national and international publications. She enjoys football and reading and her three cats, who are her constant writing companions.

USA Today Bestselling author Jenna Jacob paints a canvas of passion, romance, and humor as her Alpha men and the feisty women who love them unravel their souls and heal their scars to find their happily-ever-after kind of love. Heart-tugging, captivating, and steamy, Jenna’s books will surely leave you breathless and craving more.

A mom of four grown children, Jenna and her Alpha-Hunk husband live in Kansas. Jenna loves books, Harleys, music, and camping. Jenna’s zany sense of humor and lack of filter exemplify her motto: Live. Laugh. Love.

Meet the wild and wicked family in her sultry series: The Doms of Genesis. Or become spellbound by the searing love connection between Raine, Hammer, and Liam in her continuing saga: The Doms of Her Life (co-written with the amazing Shayla Black and Isabella La Pearl). Journey with couples struggling to resolve their pasts to discover unbridled love and devotion in Jenna’s new contemporary series: Passionate Hearts.

Born and bred in Sydney, Australia, Kat T. Masen is a mother to four crazy boys and wife to one sane husband. Growing up in a generation where social media and fancy gadgets didn’t exist, she enjoyed reading from an early age and found herself immersed in these stories. After meeting friends on Twitter who loved to read as much as she did, her passion to write began and the friendships continued on despite the distance.

Bestselling author Sasha White writes modern erotic fiction with an edge of kink with the occasional foray into paranormal and science-fiction. White has published over thirty stories with publishers such as Kensington Aphrodisia, Berkley Heat, Avon, Black Lace, and Samhain Publishing, and is recognized as one the top authors of the genre.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Evie Cole. She’s the one person I can’t figure out. People say they love you, but what they really mean is that they love how you make them feel about themselves, or what they can take from you.I can’t leave her on the streets, so I make her a deal she can’t refuse. It buys me the time I need to figure out whether Evie is the real deal or just another gold-digger.The day Evie graduates, she breaks all contact with me, which proves that she was only in it for the money. At least, that’s what I think, until random payments are made to my bank account.

EVIE

Rhett Daniels. My hero, who saved me from a life on the street. My unrequited love, who will sleep with every girl but me. His playful smile and humorous façade might fool others, but not me. I see myself in his eyes. He only has one rule.He’ll pay for my education, giving me a chance to become independent. All I have to do is keep my clothes on which also means no dating. I hate being his charity case, but I tell myself it will only be until I graduate. I will find a way to pay him back. The worst part is that I fell in love with him.Hoping to forget the one man I can never have, I move to the other side of the country. I’m determined to make it on my own, but things don’t always work out the way we want them to.

Rhett Daniels & Evie Cole ~ Book 5 in the Enemies To Lovers Series

This is book #5 in the Enemies To Lovers Series. Each book in the series is about a different couple. To get the full experience of their friendship, I'd recommend that you start with Heartless

“Let me give you a ride home. You can’t walk in this weather,” Rhett says as I start to turn around.I’m shaking my head before he’s even done talking. There’s no way that I can be alone in a car with him right now. I’m too embarrassed from knowing about the blowjob. The ride home will only be painfully awkward.“I like walking in the rain,” I say, but my shivering from the cold doesn’t make me sound very convincing.Time to make a run for it, Evie.“See you around.” The words rush from me as I spin on my heel, walking away as quickly as I can without falling down again.The next second, strong fingers wrap around my arm, and I’m whirled back around. I slam into Rhett but before I can recover from the shock, he bends down, presses his shoulder against my stomach, and then I’m airborne.“What are you doing?” I shriek as my book bag tumbles to the ground. I’m too busy clinging to the soaked fabric on his back to try to stop my bag from landing on the pavement.“It’s wet and fucking cold out here, woman” Rhett growls as he plucks my bag from the ground.I try to wiggle my body out of his grip, but his arm tightens over the back of my thighs.“Rhett!” I hiss through my teeth, dumbfounded by his caveman behavior. “Put me down.”I place my hands flat on his back and feeling his hard muscles flexing beneath my palms, almost makes me forget that he has me upside down over his shoulder. I shake my head lightly to rid my traitorous mind of the foolish trance a few muscles has it ensnared in, and start to wiggle again.A wet slap to my bottom makes my eyes widen, and my lips part as a tiny peep rushes from me.Rhett just slapped me on the butt.“You can’t walk home in this weather,” he says, calmly, as if this isn’t… crap, I don’t even have words for what this situation is. Nothing like this has happened to me before.When I hear whistles and Rhett’s name being cheered from a nearby dorm, I pinch my eyes shut. My cheeks start to flame with embarrassment from other students witnessing this absolutely crazy moment.I’m so thrown by what just happened that I remain speechless until we reach his car.I hear my bag falling to the ground with a wet slap. Rhett moves his hands to my hips and pulls me down the front of his body. My breath whooshes from me as my feet meet the ground.When I realize how close we’re standing to each other, I yank my hands back from where I was gripping his shoulders. The tight grip he has on my hips keeps me from moving further away, making my eyes dart up to his.I should let him have a piece of my mind for tossing me over his shoulder, but my mouth dries up the instant our eyes meet. His eyes are so dark and intense that my stomach flutters with something I’d rather not name.“Yo,” my mind snaps derisively, “don’t even think about going there. Get me out of the gutter.” I open my mouth but still, nothing comes out. I must look like a gaping fish right now.“He’s off limits, silly girl,” my mind adds her two cents as if I wasn’t aware of that glaring fact which keeps slapping me upside the head whenever I have a moment of weakness, and I dare think that Rhett is hot… and dark… and broody… and sexy … and damn I’m so screwed.His eyes finally release mine, but then they travel down my body. Doing a leisurely sweep down to my shoes before coming back up, it feels as if his heated gaze is scorching every inch of my icy skin.“It’s no use,” my mind sighs sullenly. “You’re definitely screwed. When this blows up in your face, don’t come crying that I didn’t warn you.”When his eyes collide with mine, and his fingers tighten their grip on my hips, I realize why I was upset about what that girl said in the library.I want Rhett to notice me. Not as a homeless girl he needs to take care off, but as a woman.The thought is so jarring and unexpected that I rip my body free from his hold. I grab my bag and walk around the car to the passenger side.Breathlessly I say, “Fine. If you want your car wet it’s your loss. Can we leave already? I need to get home.”I yank the door open and climbing into the car, I swear I hear him muttering under his breath, “It’s not the only thing I want wet.”

Michelle Horst is a Bestselling Romance Author who likes her books hot, dirty, and with a touch of darkness. She loves an alpha hero who is not scared to fight for his woman.

Want to be up to date with what’s happening in Michelle’s world? Sign up to receive the latest news on her alpha hero releases, sales, and great giveaways → http://eepurl.com/cUXM_P